this edition of "newsline." it's friday, december 21st. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. they're hoping consumers will keep spending and not just on christmas presents. we have joined from the business desk with the numbers. >> the magic number is considered a rate that reflects a healthy stream of goods an services.

the previous estimate didn't reacthat nuer. officials at the commerce department have changed the picture of the economy filling in some gaps. they say the pace of growth is the highest. commerce department officials revised up their growth rate. gross domestic product grew from the previous quarter. it was up by 0.4% from the figure last month. consumer spending does account for 70% of gdp. expert growth was revised from 1.1% to 1.9%. federal government spending was changed. it was revised downward slightly but maintain the pace of 13.5%. still the u.s. economic outlook

remains uncertain. the obama administration and the republicans are at a stand still to resolve the tax increases. here in japan the central bank has started to consider a concrete inflation target. this is in response to a request made by the incoming leader. policy makers reviewed the inflation goal at a board meeting on thursday. they aim to reach a conclusion at their next meeting in january. liberal democratic party leader wants to pull japan's economy out of deflation once the new administration is in place. he's asking the boj to sign a policy accord with the incoming coming to make the target 2%. the rate remains at around 0%. it averaged at the lower 1% range during the bubble era in the late 1980s. some boj officials insist they should study the inflation

impact on people's lives if it should double. others agree it might make it difficult to steer monetary measures in strview of economic conditions. the bank of japan plans to exam how its inflation target should be sent and when it shoultd be reached. let's g let's get a check on markets. the nikkei rose to an eight and a half month high. it's trading at 10,098. investors are placing bets on a wide range of stocks as the yen weaks. let's take a look at the dollar yen. that's changing hands at 84.26 to 28. that's after the gdp final

estimate came in better than what many analysts had expected. the euro is also higher. that's changing hands at 111. let's take a look at other markets open. south korea's kospi down bay third of a percent. the index is trading higher. a bit of a mixed picture in the asia pacific today. the head of mitsubishi electric has decided to take it were fault. they will decide on the penalty at an executive officers meeting on friday. sources say the president will have his entire compensation cut for six months. other kexecutives are expected o

receive pay reductions. the companies have been overcharging clients. they're set to pay over $800 million to the state and other entities. that's the latest headlines. here is a check on markets. soldiers are shooting from

re and more syrians are heading for the border. 5 500,000 refugees have fled to neighboring countries. government and opposition forces are fighting for control of the capital damascus, the northern city of aleppo and other places. officials with the u.n. office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs say there's no more safe areas where people can take fuge. they need help to feed people an treat the sick. the u.n. officials have made similar appeals but this year member nations only contributed 60% of what they asked for. government and opposition forces have taken their fights to the golan heights.

u.n. peace keepers in the area monitor the cease-fire between syria and israel. the security council decided on wednesday to extend the forces mandate by another six months. commanders have rotated units of 50 self-defense personnel through the mission since 1996. they have been responsible for transportation and logistics. japanese government officials say they will pull sdf members back next month because they are worried about safety. their mission was scheduled to wrap up in the leersd . the leaders of india have agreed to work together. india's prime minister met with representatives from the ten member association of southeast asian nations.

the two sides are committed to cooperation and the safety of sea lanes. >> indeed, aussian nations should negotiate for a peaceful settlement of maritime dispute in accordance with international law. >> vietnam and the phillipines, both aussian members, are in dispute with china over items in the south china sea. putin has voiced his hope with government under shinzo abe. he wants to settle a long-time dispute and conclude a peace treaty. putin spoke to more than 1,200 domestic and foreign reporters in moscow on thursday for the first time since he took office in may. >> i've seen that leaders want

to enter into peace talks with russia. these signals are important and i appreciate them. i hope we'll have constructive dialogue. >> the two countries have been unable to sign a peace accord due to the territorial row through a group of islands. japan claims the northern territorys but russia controls them. many are fearful of showing support for malala. >>he 15-ar-old sdent was shot by the pakistani taliban in october after championing girls' rights to education. she was critically wounded but

is currently recovering in the england. she hails from north western pakistan. a women's junior college in the region named itself after the teenager shortly after the shooting. the name change was a move to emphasize the importance of women's education. but students have held massive protests at the school this month. they say the new name increases their risk of militant attacks. officials decided this week to reinstitute the college's former name for the time being. they conferred with local authorities about what to do next. following the shooting in october, the pakistani government worked harder to improve women's education in the country. it has also called for international support to achieve its goal.

but women insurgents are continuing attacks on schools in western pakistan. many girls go to schools with constant anxiety, fearing they may be targeted next. islam, nhk world, islamabad. >> some people may have been surprised to have woken up this morning. the so-called new agers were convinced the world would end on december 21st with the end of the mayan long count calendar. archeologists say their beliefs are groundless. the supposed end of the mayan calendar has prompted apocalyptic speculation around the world. about 1,000 tourists are expected to visit the mayan ruins in mexico.

a museum in moscow is offering a place. ticket prices are around $100. museum curators say they are sold out. police have been busy trying to keep visitors away. people in china are busy trying to detain the myths. the police have obtained more than 600 members of a banned cult. the communists parties official newspaper has called on all chinese to stay calm. the rumors have no scientific basis. the beijing times reported a strong cold snap will grip the country over the weekend but it has nothing to do with the world ending.

they are facing their toughest test this century. the state run newspaper publiced a commentary. it notes the rift with japan over the senkaku islands result from the japanese pursuit of political gain. it says there's no dispute over who owns them. china's military and private sector work together to break japan's control over the ie l islands. thnewsgenc stresses that china's resolve to protect its sovereignty and maritime interest is unwaving. people in macao have

reflected on a turning point in their history. they marked the return of the territory from portugal to china. officials from the chinese government and the political te military attended a ceremony in macao the increasing number of visitors have helped fuel the rapid growth of the casino industry.t. increasing number of visitors have helped fuel the rapid growth of the casino industry.h. increasing number of visitors have helped fuel the rapid growth of the casino industry.e. increasing number of visitors have helped fuel the rapid growth of the casino industry.. increasing number of visitors have helped fuel the rapid growth of the casino industry.i have helped fuel the rapid growth of the casino industry. about 500 young people criticized them for building casinos instead of homes. >> translator: we would like to stress that property prices are too high. we can't buy houses.

>> real estate prices have surged to seven times when they were a decade ago. they want direct elections to choose the chief executive. s tsunamis found evidence of 16 massive tsunami's over the past years. sediment was studied in a pond in the coast of western japan. they found 15 layers of sediment. they believe each one was brought there by a giant tsunami. they dug deeper and found a geological at the bottom. researchers say their findings are the first to provide data dating back 6,000 years. >> translator: 300 years have

passed since the last giant sue f tsunami. if another hit the trough, a tsunami will occur. they've been checking the ground beneath a hand full of facilities. they say active seismic faults could run beneath a plant in northern japan. nr eerts met to evaluate the results of the survey they carried out earlier this month at the nuclear plant. the operator won't have to scrap the reactors even if the nra determine the faults are active.

the utility will have to review the plant's earthquake resistance measures which could delay the resumption of operations. >> translator: the projected earthquake movement will be quite different since the present projection does not consider the existence of active faults in the compound. >> the expert will hear from representatives next week and then reach their conclusion. thousands of people waiting to go home. dispos. debris waiting for vast track of land awaiting to be restored. overcoming the challenges of japan's 2011 disaster won't be easy but step by step people are moving forward. find out how on the road ahead every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time right here on

"newsline." rice harvested in northern japan is being shipped all the way to europe. the destination norway. it's not for eating. it's being made into sake in the same traditional way it's been brewed in japan for centuries. >> reporter: in the norweigan capital, sake is getting popular. many people like to drink with their meals. >> translator: this is made in norway using japanese rice. it's really good. >> reporter: the flavor is tru fruity with a slight acidity. >> translator: i'm very proud of the sake made in norway. >> translator: i usually drink red wine but i love sake too.

>> reporter: as europe acquires a growi ining taste for japanes food, demand for sake is increasing. europe's first and only sake brewery is here in the south of norway. it was set up two years ago by a local er company. the brewer is from canada. he first discovered sake nine years ago and was amazed a complex flavor could be made from rice and water. three years ago he met the owner of this brewery at a sake workshop and was invited to norway to help start a production. >> it's very rewarding. >> reporter: it' brewed in the yamahi style.

it produces a more complex, yeasty flavor. wild yeast is used to start the fermentation. it's a time and labor intensive process. by using these natural occurring yeast the aim is to create sake with a >> reporter: they gave deep thought to the kind of race they wanted to use. >> we were in norway and he wanted to get the spirit and the flavor of northern climate. >> reporter: from this year they began offering tours of the

brewery. they explain in detail how sake is made and how it should be drunk. >> this one is about 16%. it's diluted. >> reporter: >> translator: i really liked it. it's unlike any alcoholic drink i've drank before. >> europeans are just getting interested in sake. i think it's going to be a big growth area. >> reporter: with more people acquiring taste for sake, that's a cause for celebration at this brewer. onto other news. members of a christian group in south korea are hoping to send a message of peace and freedom their northern nations. they are putting up christmas lights with north korea. the group will light up a 30 meter tower shaped like a christmas tree. it will remain in place until the new year. members say the group started

the holiday tradition in the 1950s. authorities have denounced the dispy asprovocative. they allowed the display on the ground of religious freedoms. children who survived the disaster last year in northeast japan got a visit from a well known christmas figure. santa dropped in on an elementary school. he brought gifts for children who went through the earthquake and tsunami. a volunteer group organized the visit to cheer up the students. needless to say their efforts and santa's sack full of goodies was a treat for the kids. >> translator: that's fantastic. santa claus came down from the sky. >> translator: i was so happy.

americans in mid western states are dealing with weather condition that may disrupt weekend plans. mpb we have the latest in the weather forecast. >> we have blizzard warnings posted. 3 35 centi meters have accumulated. the eastern half of the great lakes will see the heaviest snow from tonight. the frontal line is producing thunder showers. one tornado touched down in northern part of florida. some thunder showers will be easing as we head into friday. wet and windy and snowy conditions will prolong to the

northwest. south quebec will see 75 kilometers. that could disrupt your travel plans. out toward the west and another pacific system is affecting the west coast. this is a stationary one so wet and windy weather across the west will continue into your next week. that means very heavy rain will continue along the coast and very heavy snow showers for the mountains. the sierras may see 75 inches of snow. temperatures will be only three degrees on your friday. minus 11 in winnipeg. all right moving into east asia. you can see a cloud mass moving into japan underneath the system. we're seeing lots of thunder

showers. rain in south korea. parts of western japan as well as snow showers in north korea. the system will head toward the east. the pacific side will see the heaviest rain with up to 120 millimeters likely into the next 24 hours. rain will also spread into the counter region including tokyo. we could be seeing snow showers. the first snow of the season tomorrow. not bad in soul. 2 degrees and 0 degrees in beijing. your high in seoul could drop down to only minus 7 degrees.

let's go over to the european continent. wet and windy conditions are still ongoing across the british isles. severe weather is still lingering across the black sea. lots of heavy rain and thunderstorms. very chilly out towards the east but mild out towards the west. 14 degrees in ma drids and 18 in lisbon on your friday. that's it for me now. up next is your three-day outlook.

. that's all for this edition of "newsline." do join us again.